If the people of Ohio are so stupid/apathetic about their own families and about their children's future that they vote the union way, let them have what they want.

Wisconsin will move forward economically because of Scott Walker's standing up to the terrorist tactics of the unions - it is already showing benefits to schools and the rest of the state after breaking down the Public Employees Union.

We'll all compare Ohio and Wisconsin in 2 years.

Public Employee Union members and leaders obviously think the average Anmercan is stupid. Their actions show their blatant contempt for all Americans. Thankfully, they are destined for the ashheap of history.

Kasich is NOT toast. This what they said about Scott Walker; they just need time for the reforms to kick in. It is difficult when you have teachers and cops whining about their salaries being cut; once people realize, however, that those employees are making considerably more and have considerably better pension benefits, public opinion may change.

One of the problems in Ohio is that the unions have all the money to advertise. They have been paying union employees (the thuggish ones) since May (over 500 of them) to campaign against the reforms.

We'll get a better picture the closer to the election when the pro reform adverts start running and the Tea Party, which is highly organized, gets moving.

Kasich has balanced Ohio's budget, which seemed an impossibility when his predecessor (the liberal Dem Strickland) left office.

SB 5 may go down in the upcoming ballot issue but many of its reforms (increased contribution for health and pension by union members) will be enacted by the Republican statehouse regardless of what happens with SB5.

At the very least it's a partial victory for Kasich whom I proudly voted for and will continue to vote for.

You do know whats been happening here in WI don't you? Compared to Madison Ohio is like fucking Club Med. Time for Kasich to grow a pair and tell the public unions to fuck off, or you can write Ohio off for another generation.

It's not a "no love" or "love" situation. I'm just calling it like I see it. The union supporters will never vote for Kasich. People like me will be looking for someone more solid in the primaries. "More solid" is ambiguous, probably meaning someone who will stick by their guns better.

Kasich pushed hard to get this law through, now he's back tracking? Something isn't right. It should at least be given a chance on the November ballot. Kasich's fighting the battle like a Frenchman. If the law was so bad, why didn't they go to the table with opponents in the first place?

Ohio had also voted in casino gambling under the previous governor. When Kasich cam into power, he decided to renegotiate the deals with the casino companies, throwing a monkey wrench into the situation and completely halting the construction of the casino in Cincinnati (and others too, I believe).

The other thing is that many of the reforms passed in SB5 were also included in the state budget, so Issue 2 may not really get the unions what they want.

Personally I think Kasich needs to get his side out more and work with groups willing to fund more air time.

Then, though it feels dirty to me, they need to play the class warfare game that Dems are so good at. That is, let those outside groups advertise how much the regular Joe pays for union employees' pensions and health care and wages.

In that sense, Kasich is folding too early. But no worries on that end. The unions are saying they don't want to even negotiate with him. They are confident they will win. We'll see.

"Kasich pushed hard to get this law through, now he's back tracking? Something isn't right."

I was struck by the idea that this was perfect political posturing by Kasich for the effort to overturn the law. I read the article and noted the pro-union spokesperson flatly rejected the offer to negotiate.

That being the case, the pro-reformers can take this to the voters with a pretty darn strong argument that the unions are out to bankrupt the state.

Anyway, it's not my state. I'm glad we don't have these problems in Texas.

Give Kasich a break. He's moving Ohio in the right direction (sounds like a campaign slogan) and S & P -- that wonderful little outfit that everyone loves to hate -- just upgraded the credit outlook from negative to positive.

Kasich balanced a basket-case state budget without raising taxes and recently signed-off on eliminating the state estate tax, which was one of the worst in the country.

The SB5 referendum if it passes will be merely a minor setback in the ongoing destruction of the Ohio welfare state that's existed for decades.

Kasich has accomplished a lot since January and doesn't run for reelection until 2014.

Kasich's a good guy and has performed prodigies, but, like a lot of Midwestern states, the heavily union urban areas are often able to call the tune. He needs to show the same leadership as Walker. This move is the RINOs in Columbus talking.

They should run a full-page ad with the state union employees salaries - not individuals, but the standard payscales - and let Janitor Jake at Acme Moters see what a union janitor makes, and so on. That should be publicly available information.

Include a column with the value of their payroll taxes and benefits, total it up, and let everyone see job by job what these people are making/costing. Then I think you see some of the apathy turn into action - or at least reflect in the polls.